Gerbera plant named ‘Garisabel Imp.’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Garisabel Imp.’, characterized by its compact, broadly upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; dense and bushy appearance; numerous inflorescences with bright yellow-colored ray florets arranged on upright and strong scapes; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Gerbera hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘GARISABEL IMP.’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Garisabel Imp.’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Gerbera plants with numerous inflorescences, good garden performance, frost tolerance and attractive inflorescence coloration.

The new Gerbera plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Gerbera hybrida ‘Garisabel’, not patented. The new Gerbera plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within a population of plants of ‘Garisabel’ in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands in April, 2012.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by cuttings and by tissue culture in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since September, 2012 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Garisabel Imp.’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Garisabel Imp.’ as a new and distinct Gerbera plant:

-   -   1. Compact, broadly upright and uniformly mounding plant habit.     -   2. Dense and bushy appearance.     -   3. Numerous inflorescences with bright yellow-colored ray         florets.     -   4. Upright and strong scapes.     -   5. Good garden performance, relatively tolerant to rain, wind         and low temperatures.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the parent, ‘Garisabel’, in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera are more vigorous than plants of         ‘Garisabel’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger leaves than plants of         ‘Garisabel’.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera have larger inflorescences than         plants of ‘Garisabel’.

Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the Gerbera hybrida ‘Garsunny’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 22,886. Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Garsunny’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have narrower leaves than plants of         ‘Garsunny’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Garsunny’ differ in ray floret         shape as plants of ‘Garsunny’ have narrowly elliptic-shaped ray         florets.     -   3. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Garsunny’ differ slightly in         ray floret color as plants of ‘Garsunny’ have darker         yellow-colored ray florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Garisabel Imp.’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the autumn and early winter in 15-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 10° C. to 16° C. and night temperatures averaged 10° C. Rooted young tissue-cultured plants were five months old when the photograph and the description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera hybrida ‘Garisabel Imp.’. -   Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Gerbera     hybrida ‘Garisabel’, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer and winter.—About 2.5 to 3             weeks at temperatures of 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer and             winter.—About five to six weeks at temperatures of 20° C. to             26° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous perennials that are typically grown             as container or garden plants; compact and uniformly             mounding plant habit, broadly upright and roughly globular             in shape; numerous leaves arranged in basal rosettes and             outwardly arching; dense and bushy habit; inflorescences             held above the foliar plane on erect and strong basal             scapes; moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 27.8             cm.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of inflorescences.—About             39.6 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 58.5 cm. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 29 cm.         -   Width.—About 10.1 cm.         -   Shape.—Narrowly oblong; runcinate.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Acuminate.         -   Margin.—Coarsely and irregularly angulate; sinuses             divergent.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Densely tomentose.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 143A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 143A to 143B.             Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to N137B;             venation, close to 144B. Fully expanded leaves, lower             surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to N144D and 145A.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 5 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Texture,             upper and lower surfaces: Moderately pubescent. Color, upper             surface: Close to 145A tinged with close to 165B to 165C.             Color, lower surface: Close to 174A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Composite inflorescence form with             oblanceolate-shaped ray florets; solitary inflorescences             borne on upright and strong scapes above the foliar plane;             ray and disc florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about three months             after planting; under garden conditions in The Netherlands,             plants flower from spring to late summer; plants can be             flowered year-round in the greenhouse.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Depending on the temperature,             inflorescences last about two weeks on the plant;             inflorescences not persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about twelve open and developing inflorescences per plant at             one time. Inflorescence buds: Height: About 1.6 cm.             Diameter: About 1.8 cm. Shape: Globular. Color: Close to             143A to 143B; towards the apex, close to 150B to 150C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5.4 cm. Depth (height):             About 2.3 cm. Diameter of disc: About 2 cm. Receptacle             height: About 5 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 4 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 145D.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 50 per             inflorescence arranged in about three whorls. Orientation:             About 70° from vertical. Length: About 2.3 cm. Width: About             7 mm. Shape: Oblanceolate. Apex: Obtuse to emarginate. Base:             Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth,             glabrous; velvety; slightly longitudinally ridged. Texture,             lower surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly velvety; slightly             longitudinally ridged. Color: When opening, upper surface:             Close to 9A. When opening, lower surface: Close to 8A. Fully             opened, upper surface: Close to 14B; color does not fade             with development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 9A             to 9B; color does not fade with development.         -   Disc florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 200 massed at             center of receptacle. Length: About 1.1 cm. Width: About             3 mm. Shape: Tubular. Apex: Acute; upper 20%, free. Base:             Lower 80%, fused. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, prior to opening: Apex:             Close to 11A. Mid-section: Close to 11C. Base: Close to             156D. Color, when opening and fully opened: Apex: Close to             5B. Mid-section: Close to 8C. Base: Close to 156D.         -   Pappus.—Quantity of hairs per floret: About 50. Length:             About 6 mm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color:             Close to N79B.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity and arrangement: About 60 per             inflorescence arranged in about three whorls. Length: About             1.3 cm. Width (at base): About 2 mm. Shape: Lanceolate.             Apex: Narrowly acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture, lower             surface: Densely tomentose. Color, upper surface: Close to             137C. Color, lower surface: Close to 143C.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 36.7 cm. Diameter: About 5 mm;             distally, about 3 mm. Angle: About 10° from vertical.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Moderately to densely tomentose.             Color: Close to 145A to 145B; distally, close to 146D.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium (present on disc florets             only): Quantity per floret: Five. Filament length: About             6 mm. Filament color: Close to 11C to 11D. Anther shape:             Lanceolate. Anther length: About 3 mm. Anther color: Close             to 13B. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 12B.             Gynoecium (present only on ray florets): Quantity per             floret: One. Pistil length: About 1.1 cm. Stigma shape:             Cleft. Stigma color: Close to 9B. Style length: About             1.1 cm. Style color: Close to 11C to 11D. Ovary color: Close             to 155A.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been             observed on plants of the new Gerbera. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Gerbera plants has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera     grown under commercial production conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed to     have good garden performance and to be relatively tolerant to wind     and rain. Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed to tolerate     high temperatures about 35° C. and to be cold hardy to USDA     Hardiness Zone 6. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Garisabel Imp.’ as illustrated and described. 